I've had an EPIPHANY!!

No, not only that...

But that I'm really horrible at continuous blogging...

I get really great for a stretch...and then I fall off the wagon....

And I don't just take a small break...I go a loooonnnngggg time!

The last update was pre Hawaiian vacation aka Ironman Kona!!  That was Oct 2012...it's now April 2013...seriously...so much life lived since then.  So here is my feeble attempt to catch up and get on a better foot.  But with some adjustments, revelations and confessions. 

I'm not ever going to be a great blogger...I have 3 jobs, 2 kids, and a crazy life.  But I will continue to try my best...but my best may not be extremely regular.  I love to cook, I love to eat, I love to swim/bike/run, I love my job as a nurse.  I want to blog about it all...not in an effort to be all "I love me" about it but an effort to remember...to possibly help others in any and all of those areas...and in a effort to process my life on "paper" if you will.  I've always loved to write and it's like small version of therapy.  If you want to read, read...if you don't I won't even know anyway :)

So here it is...a catch up more in pictures than in words...because it's been a beautiful ride so far and I'm excited for what the future holds...

First...HAWAII!!  We spent 2 blissful weeks on the Big Island...swimming, running, snorkeling, tanning, exploring...and most importantly being present for the greatest triathlon around...the Ironman World Championships in Kona.  It.  Was.  Epic.

 

Kids and I after a hard morning of snorkeling

 

Kiddos rocking the Wattie Ink W after the Underpants Run

 

Pre Ironman Med Tent

 

Holy Big Honu

 

Hard to top a Kona sunset

 

Family luau

 

 

Next up in the land of big updates is all the amazing work I've been privileged to do as a flight nurse....it's an opportunity I never imagined I'd have but I've been sooooooo blessed to do it!  I've gone (I'm sure I'm missing some and these are in no particular order) to Palm Springs, Blythe, Seattle, Las Vegas, Anchorage, Adak, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Vancouver, Edmonton, Wisconsin, Denver, Cold Bay, and I'm sure a few more...some were for a moment...others were at least overnight...and it's been the experience of a lifetime.  I'm so excited to see where else this job takes me...but here are some pics along the way...

 

 

Outside Edmonton in mighty chilly weather!

 

 

Trying to look over the pilot's shoulders at Mt. Rainier

 

Even the training is cool!

 

The last big update comes courtesy of the Navy.  I've been privileged to already have some amazing experiences in my career in the Nurse Corps.  The best to date was my two weeks spent in "boot camp" also known as Direct Commission Officer Indoctrination Course in Newport, Rhode Island.  It was truly a life changing experience and I could never hope to sum it up in words....so some pictures will have to do...

 

 

With my amazing, fabulous roommate, Mikel.

 

 

Our one day of freedom after being snowed in by Nemo (the affectionate name the locals gave the blizzard that hit us hard!).

 

With the roomie again and my local SD girl Stephanie

 

 

My room for 2 weeks...pretty plush, huh?

 

 

Shoveling snow is oh so fun!

 

 

 I had to try....

 

So anyway, there it all is...a massive update in a small way.

 

Here's what's coming up....

 

First I leave Saturday (in 2 days) for 9 days of field training with the Marines to do some expeditionary field medicine....should be quite an experience to say the least.

 

Then once home it's onto another challenge...the Whole 30 challenge that you can read up on here...wanna join in on the fun?  I'm staring April 15th along with a few other friends who want to improve their health too...the more the merrier!  And yes, I know it's not vegan...but if you'll refer back here you see that I have only ever tweaked my diet for health reasons...and this is yet another step along the way of using myself as a guinea pig...it's science, right?? 

 

Lastly on tap for me is my return back to long course racing...I've registered once again for Barb's race...I've tried it once before and I aim to try it again...and do it bigger and better...watch out...

 

I think that's about all I can cram in one blog post since I'm getting slightly crossed eyed...hope I didn't bore you to pieces and I swear to be a bit better at this, even if it's only a mobile update!  Until then...

 

 

XOXO

 

Jackie

Reflections...

It's been a busy month...

Wait...no...it's been a busy YEAR.

A year full of awesomeness the likes of which I never could have imagined on Jan. 1, 2012.

But here I am...September 29, 2012...and so much has happened.

I rarely take time to look back, but now I wanted to reflect a bit.  I've covered most of it in my blog so I won't bore you...but quick synopsis...

Figuring out issues with amazing little boy, finally following up on years of health issues and starting to tackle them, attempted an ultramarathon, deployed husband came home, baby girl started kindergarten, little boy started 3rd grade, hubby got a well deserved selection to chief petty officer, hubby went through 6 weeks of h*ll to be a Chief, started a food blog to track my successes and failures in my gluten free/ mostly vegan cooking life, and I was selected to the U.S. Navy Reserve Nurse Corps and commissioned as an Ensign.

I may have missed a few milestones...but those ones stood out for me.

And if you missed that last one...yes, it's true...I've gone and done it.  I'm in the Navy now! 

 

It's something I've always dreamed of doing...and I was further inspired by this song and video (yes I know it's for the National Guard but it's very applicable...



And when you are married to a man who loves the Navy almost as much as he loves his country it's easy to be inspired to do great things...

It will be a while before I start...but the very long process has finally been completed (minus some more paperwork...duh)...and I'll be off to bootcamp fork and knife school before I know it!

Tomorrow is the last tri of the season...Mission Bay.  It was my very first triathlon 5 years ago and as I toe the line float in the freezing cold water sans wetsuit to save some precious seconds...I'll remember how far I've come....

From the 24 year old girl who had no clue what she was doing...barely making it through her first tri...making so many mistakes...consuming mass quantities of calories in a short sprint race...barely jogging through the run...dying on the bike...feeling awful about herself...

To now...confident young woman who knows this sport and knows her body better then she ever has...knows her nutrition like the back of her hand...loves the run...flys through the bike faster then she ever imagined she'd be able to (still not as fast as the awesome women she races...but fast enough to be proud)...racing for a place in the top five...or even top 10...or really just faster then the last time...cause that's really all that matters...steady progress forward.

Relentess forward motion.

Learning from past mistakes.

Forgiving errors.

 

Planning for bumps in the road (proverbial ones or literal ones!).

 

Enjoying every, single, blessed moment....

 

Being grateful that she has the ability every day to go out and do it...to swim...to bike...to run...

 

And now...the ability to serve...

Serve her patients...and serve her country.

It's as American as gluten free/vegan apple pie (cheezy, I know)...or possibly as American as a hamburger on the grill...wait I don't eat hamburgers...what's a girl to do? 

Make one that fits the bill!  Most of the store bought ones are loaded with wheat and therefore off the table for me...and some others I've tasted taste like...well...grass...fresh cut grass...hmmmm...

So I made one instead...infused with a bit of Thai flavor (maybe I'll be heading to Thailand with the USNS Mercy or Comfort...who knows).  This burger kicks some serious boo-tay...not that I'm biased. 

Thai Veggie Burgers

by Jaclyn Trosper

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 5-10 minutes

Ingredients (8 patties)

• 1 C quinoa (I used red but any kind will do)
• 2 C water
• 2 cubes vegan "chicken" bouillon
• 2 C cooked lentils
• 3 gloves garlic, pressed
• 1 tsp red curry paste
• 1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 C soy tempeh, crumbled
• 1 tsp miso paste
• 1/4 tsp tumeric
• 1/4 tsp coriander
• 1/4 tsp curry
• 1 tbsp tamari (or other gluten free soy sauce alternative such as Bragg's)
• 1 tbsp cornstarch (needed to help bind the patties...trust me, they fall apart without it!)

Instructions

Cook quinoa, water, and bouillon in a rice cooker or according to package directions on stovetop (though a rice cooker is like $10 and soooo worth it!). Meanwhile combine all other ingredients in a large bowl and mix well, mashing as you go. Once quinoa is cooked mix into bowl with all ingredients. Mix and form into patties. Place in pre greased pan and cook 2-3 minutes per side until slightly browned. Remove from pan and serve regular style or over a bed of veggies if you are so inclined...both taste great!

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Enjoy your day...enjoy your weekend...

Enjoy life...cause it's short...and precious.

Until next post...

XOXO

 

Jackie

Working for the Weekend

It's been a long while since my family has had a weekend together.

It's been a busy few months and this was the first time we were able to all be together all weekend. We milked it for all it was worth!

I know I've been neglecting the blog this week but with work, kids, hubby, and a head cold to boot it's been rough. I'm feeling back on track though and should be ready to roll for this next week. Tonight starts 3 more nights of work however...so the blog will be silent until Wednesday with a WIAW I hope!

Anyway...the weekend technically started on Thursday morning when I got off work. It was a quick beach run exploring the roads less taken...

 

 

And then breakfast on the boardwalk with my work buddy Alli. I had just gotten some fantastic news so we celebrated with mimosas!!

Please don't mind the decidedly un-vegan scrambled eggs...it's why I say I'm "mostly" vegan...hey, I'm not perfect!!

Oh, and what is this fantastic news you ask???

Well about six months ago I started the long process of being commissioned into the U.S. Navy Reserves Nurse Corps...and Thursday morning I found out I was selected!!!  I'll be commissioned into the Navy Reserves next week!!! 

More on that later...for now back to the weekend...

Thursday night we BBQ'd with friends and tried to get to bed early! 

Friday wasn't entirely exciting...some studying...grocery shopping...spent some quality time with my buddy Bex.  Again...to bed early for an early morning the next day.

Saturday started with the head cold in full force...but that couldn't stop me from dragging my butt out of a warm bed and into the cold waters of Mission Bay.  I'm lucky enough to be a mentor for the SheRox Triathlon Series here in San Diego.  I personally have 7 mentees and help put on clinics for the numerous other mentees in our area.  Saturday was our transition clinic and I was the demo girl for the "correct" way to transition...it was a great morning with amazing motivating women. 

After that we jetted home so I could eat and shower before taking the family to Balboa park.  Addy has ballet there weekly with the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet.  If you have a little ballerina and live in the San Diego area I highly recommend them! 

While Addy danced her little heart out we had a playdate with one of Shanne's friends from school.  We picked Addy up after class and let them all play in the fountain to cool off for a while before heading off to our next task...

We then went home to rest for a bit and prep for our long awaited date night!!

Mike has been so busy lately it's been hard to carve out some time for ourselves...but we had booked this night months in advance.  It was a murder mystery dinner in downtown SD with our good friends Daz and Sarah.  We dressed to the nines..

And started our evening at the Top of the Hyatt (more pics to follow later but they are all on Sarah's camera!!). 

We then cabbed it to the Marriot to start our dinner adventure....

Complete with murder...

 

And Mike acting ridiculous (doing Lion's Breath "face yoga")...don't ask...it's a long story...

Afterwards we headed to Searsucker bar in the Gaslamp. 

It was a great night followed by a rare morning sleeping in!!

This morning I had promised the hubs a big breakfast.  To him means biscuits and sausage gravy...clearly a vegan/gluten free nightmare!!

I make a non vegan/gluten filled version for hubby...but biscuits for the kids and I must be GF.  I found this mix...

And the cooking directions are already vegan when made with vegetable shortening...

Then I whipped up the rest of the gravy using my go-to soyrizo and my new fav vegan/gluten free goodie soy tempeh (I generally use soy products sparingly but at 22 grams of protein for 4 oz this stuff is vegan goodness!)...

Gluten Free Vegan "Sausage" Gravy

by Jaclyn Trosper

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 5 min

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 1 yellow onion diced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 oz soyrizo (soy chorizo)
• 2 oz soy tempeh crumbled
• 2 tbsp brown rice flour
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 2 cups plain vegan milk (I used plain almond)
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• Fresh cilantro to taste

Instructions

In a greased saucepan cook onions until clear and slightly browning. Add garlic and continue to cook for another minute. Add soyrizo and finely crumbled tempeh. Cook until warm. Add brown rice flour and cornstarch and continue to stir. After another two minutes add milk and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and stir continuously. The mixture will begin to thicken. Bring to a simmer, add cilantro and serve warm over warm gluten free biscuits.

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After that monstrous feast (there were hashbrowns, veggies, and eggs for the family)...it was time to harvest some tomatoes from the garden (tomato ideas anyone??)...

Now it's naptime!  Hope your weekend has shaped up as well as mine did!  Until later...enjoy!

XOXO

 

Jackie

Finding Comfort

I've been thinking alot about comfort lately.

As a nurse it's my job to give it to others...to my patients...to their families...

Sometimes, for the sick and weary, it's hard to find...

For the grieving it may even be harder...

But comfort comes in many forms...

An outstretched hand to hold...a kind word...a tissue given in a moment of sadness...

Some much needed pain medicine...a warm bath...soothing words...

I am blessed to be able to bestow comfort upon others in their time of need.

But what about those who aren't sick?  How do they find comfort?

For some it's a soft blanket...a warm bed...a hot bath...a cup of tea.

For others it's in the arms of their loved ones...or the table of their best friends sharing stories over a glass of wine (holla!)

Still...for others...

It's in food.

Can you guess where I find my comfort???

Only half kidding...I've been known to find it in all of the above, but I do appreciate some good comfort food.

Once I went vegan I figured my days of real comfort food were over...

HA!

Was I wrong...there is an entire book devoted to vegan comfort junk food (comfort and junk are not always synonymous, but for this purpose they are).

Also, as I became more talented at cooking up my own fabulous vegan/gluten free food I was able to experiment and create some of my staple comfort foods in vegan fashion (partly how I became a food blogger of course).

In my normal life (i.e. when I'm not at the hospital) I still yearn to comfort others...and now I am still able to do that with healthy, nutrient dense, soul warming food. 

Also with kind words, encouraging posts (isn't that why you read this??), helpful hands, and a kind heart...or you can just cook up a batch of my staple comfort food...chili.

This recipe actually came about from my dad. 

He went vegan years ago and is a fabulous cook.  He also tends to dole out comfort to his family in the form of food.  This is his newly modified recipe.  He took some of the heat out so that the kids could enjoy it, but feel free to put some in in the form of peppers, soyrizo, whatever your heat loving soul desires!

Vegan Chili

by Jaclyn Trosper

Prep Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 2 hours

Ingredients (1 large stockpot)

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 yellow onions diced
• 2 yellow squash diced
• 2 gloves garlic chopped
• 4 carrots chopped
• 2 bell peppers (any color you choose) diced
• 2 cans organic pinto beans (drained)
• 2 cans organic garbanzo beans (drained)
• 2 cans organic kidney beans (drained)
• 2 cans organic black beans (undrained)
• 1 can organic refried black beans
• 1/2 C dried lentils (I used red but any color is fine)
• 5 tomatoes diced (from my garden!) OR 2 cans organic diced tomatoes
• 2 C water
• 1/2 C cilantro chopped
• 1/2 C chives chopped
• 1 C huumus (I use Trader Joes original)
• 2 tbsp cumin
• 2 tbsp Kosher salt
• 2 tbsp chili powder

Instructions

Place oil in large stockpot or dutch oven and heat. Cook onions, squash, and garlic until onions are translucent. Add carrots and bell peppers and cook for approx. 5 more minutes. Add all drained beans then add 2 cans black beans including liquid (be sure to look for BPA free cans such as Eden's Organic line). Add dried lentils, tomatoes, and remaining ingedients to pot. Bring to low simmer and cook, covered, for 2 hours until vegetables are soft (can cook longer). Be careful to stir frequently so as to prevent burning. Serve over quinoa, brown rice, or grain of choice. Top with avocado, vegan sour cream, or whatever sounds good! Enjoy!

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Aloha!!

My monsters kiddos heading to school

I really love that Aloha has two meanings...of course, as most people know, it means hello.  But it also, thankfully, means goodbye.  So in the case of today I say Aloha with the alternate meaning of goodbye.

Now you may be wondering what I'm saying goodbye to.  See those adorable little children in the photo above?  Well I said goodbye to them this week as they headed back to school...which was awesome. 

I also say goodbye to this handsome man several times over as he has been diligently training to become a Chief.

The hubby doing Chiefly things like washing cars

But what I would REALLY like to say goodbye to is this...

In full on tantrum mode...please note clenched fist slamming ground

Yeah, for those of you who don't know the joy of children...this is known as a tantrum.

There have been several this week.  One so bad from my older child it kept me up for hours into the night with screaming, kicking the wall, tears (on his part AND mine). 

It's been awful.

Sleep has been limited.

But now I say Aloha to it.

Sounds simple, right?  Say aloha and it's gone? 

I know, not that easy...but luckily daddy came home for a day and laid down some law (and substantial threats)...and things have been a bit calmer.

Plus, I get to escape to work for a few nights...and earn some holiday pay to boot!  I'm not complaining!

All this Aloha-ing though had me dreaming of Hawaii.  We are headed there ourselves in 37 days (not that I'm counting).  We will be oogling half naked people volunteering here and then chillaxing on the Big Island for 2 glorious weeks!

So in order to bring myself to a more zen-like state I started reading some of my favorite blogs and was inspired by Ms. Lindsay Cotter and her steel cut oats in a rice cooker to pick up some of this yummy L&A juice...

Which then made it's way into some oats reminiscent of a warm Hawaiian day...make them...I swear, you can feel the ocean breeze on your skin...

Or that may just be the fan on full blast to combat this heat wave. 

Either way, they are pretty tasty if I say so myself!

Aloha Oats

by Jaclyn Trosper

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 1 C steel cut oats
• 4 C L&A coconut pineapple juice
• 2 C raw cashews soaked overnight
• 1/3 C agave
• 1 mango diced
• Almond milk to taste (or desired consistency)
• Could also use coconut milk

Instructions

Soak cashews overnight in just enough water to cover them. Set aside.

Place oats and juice in rice cooker (if you don't have this amazing, cheap piece of equipment cook oats according to package directions using juice instead of water...but really, I recommend the rice cooker).

Meanwhile place cashews and agave into food processor or high power blender (e.g. Vitamix or Blendtec). Mix until creamy...you can add small amounts of soaking water in order to blend better, but don't overdo it!

Once oats are cooked place in bowl. Mix with almond milk to reach desired consistency (some like it thick, some like it runny). Sprinkly mango pieces on top. Dollop with cashew cream...mix and eat! ALOHA!!

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Jump for JOY!

 

 

Literally...I'm kind of jumping for joy.  My two nights of work are done (with no crazy mishaps) and I have two nights off (I've been doing only 1 night off for a while and it's exhausting!).  Annnddd...my juice cleanse is done!  I will admit I'm not a total fan.  But I feel lighter and a bit "cleaner."  It was an experience for sure but doing it while working was hard...except I did have the company of these two beautiful ladies to help me!
 

Showing off our white tongues as we detox...yum!

 

I may do a 24 hour juice cleanse monthly though just to keep things clean and detoxed.  Kris Carr in her book Crazy, Sexy, Diet advocates this idea as a way to periodically "clean house."  She does it weekly but I'll take baby steps.  As you may remember I have reason to keep things clean internally and not let the little cancer bugs back in my life...

 

Anyway, here is a little juice "porn" of the mixes I had for the past few days...

 

So much loveliness going into the juice!



Beet, apple, cucumber

 

Carrot and ginger (my fav)

Greens (kale, spinach, cucumber, celery, parsley, romaine) and apple, plum on top of carrot 

But now it's back to real food as I wind down with some green smoothie love and some veggies...luckily my kids wanted in and had some smoothie love with me (they specifically requested lettuce in theirs)

 

Tomorrow is a full day off and I'll spend it training to my little hearts content and then cooking up a storm as I whip up some new recipes I've been thinking over...let's just say I've been super inspired lately by the fabulous woman behind Sprint 2 The Table and her amazing recipes...so look for some carrot loving coming your way soon (not in this form...more of a muffin, but inspiration is inspiration)...

 

Speaking of inspired, I was majorly inspired recently as I gazed longingly on an Almond Joy bar that I couldn't bring myself to eat...so much crap included.  I KNEW I could improve on that...so I threw some things together...

 

 

...and VOILA!!!

 

Jump For (Almond) JOY Bars!!!

 

It's a revelation for me!!  I LOVE Almond Joy bars and these are a great substitute...they even got the hubby's seal of approval.  Enjoy until next time!

 

 

Jump for (Almond) Joy Bars

by Jaclyn Trosper

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: N/A

6031646

Ingredients (10 bars)

• 1/2 C coconut flakes
• 1/4 C dried tart cherries
• 2 tbsp unsweetened carob chips
• 1/2 C raw almonds
• 1 tbsp raw coconut crystals
• 1 tsp maca root powder
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 4 tbsp agave
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

Instructions

Mix all ingredients in a food processor until well mixed.  Keep scraping sides of bowl to thoroughly mix.  Use extra coconut oil to well grease sheet of parchment paper.  Roll out mix onto sheet and cut into 10 small bars.  Place in fridge to set.  Devour as needed to feel amazing!

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